The village head of Podhajtsy, a village near Lutsk, has come under scrutiny due to suspicions of illegal enrichment.
After four years, investigators estimate that his expenses significantly exceeded his official income.
The Department of Strategic Investigations has determined that Yuriy Semenyuk, the head of the village council, along with his relatives, registered 40 assets valued at 55 million hryvnias. These assets include real estate, vehicles, commercial spaces, and land plots.
Meanwhile, the official income of the official and his family during this period amounted to only 16.5 million hryvnias. Thus, the difference between what he earned and the property he acquired exceeds 38 million hryvnias.
Recently, searches were conducted in the village council offices. According to council secretary Olga Ovsyuk, the confiscation of equipment had occurred earlier, and now the work of the village council continues as usual.
Investigators also note that the property was registered in the name of Semenyuk's wife, her sister, daughter, grandson, and other relatives.
Yuriy Semenyuk denies the allegations, calling them a "soap bubble." He states that the property registered in the names of his relatives belongs to them and is not a result of illegal activity. He also points out that most of the assets are rented out.
"A soap bubble. Everything is rented out, it's all well documented, there's nothing to grab onto. Our house was built in '89. According to these investigators, all my relatives, close and distant, who knows what — I feed them and transfer houses and cars to them, they are incapable of anything, it's just nonsense, that's all," Semenyuk stated over the phone, adding that he plans to go to court in Kyiv.
Opinions among local residents are divided. Some speak positively about the head's work, while others complain about unresolved issues in the village. For instance, local resident Oksana laments the emergency playground opposite the village council, which has been relocated several times at considerable expense.
The response from the village council was not to worry, and that they would remove it. You ask how many times this pavement has been laid. It was laid in winter in puddles, taken up in puddles, and then laid down again. It has been relaid at least three times. How much money has been siphoned off? - says the woman.
Law enforcement officials claim they have sufficient evidence to confirm illegal enrichment. If the chairman's guilt is proven in court, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Source: TSN.